


Before The Fall

by IndigoNight



Category: Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Brief discussion of suicide, Gen, Pre-Steve/Tony if you squint, Sherlock allusions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-01
Updated: 2012-06-01
Packaged: 2017-11-06 13:16:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/419329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IndigoNight/pseuds/IndigoNight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He looks sad when he thinks no one can see him. Darcy is surprisingly intuitive.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Before The Fall

**Author's Note:**

> Blatant Sherlock parallel, because it happened in my mind so it put it to paper. Also because Darcy is awesome.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Avengers or the characters I’m just borrowing them for fun.
> 
> Spoilers: Nope.
> 
> Warnings: Brief discussion of suicide, angst.
> 
> Enjoy!

“Nice party.” Tony didn’t look up from his serious contemplation of the contents of his glass, he didn’t have to; Darcy had a very distinctive voice. He wondered vaguely what she was doing here, but he had told Thor it was okay to invite some friends.

She leaned against the low balcony wall, facing back toward the warmth and chatter of the party going on inside. So far, nothing had been broken and no political dignitaries had been scarred for life, so all in all by Tony’s standards it was actually a very boring party. He didn’t answer her. He’d meant to, but somewhere between mentally measuring how much scotch was left in his glass and calculating how quickly he’d have to move to make it to the bar for another without being stopped to talk to anyone, whatever flippant reply he’d have given got lost. So silence fell. 

Darcy was not a fan of silence. “My dad was a great guy,” she blurted, apropos of nothing, “He used to throw parties all the time. Just because. There were always people in our house, neighbors, friends from work, strangers he’d met on the street and stuck up a conversation with. It was great.”

Well that explained a few things.

“He loved people. He loved meeting them, talking to them. He was always joking around.” She popped her chewing gum loudly, and her lips pressed together, a small crease forming between her eyebrows. “But sometimes, when he thought no one was looking, he’d just sort of… stop. And he’d get this weird sort of look on his face, like even though he was still smiling, he was really sad. You get that look sometimes.”

Tony paused, eyes drawn automatically sideways at the girl he’d always written off as silly and vapid.

Her body was still facing the glass doors back to the party, face bathed in the glow of the light coming through. Her stance was casual, hips leaning against the railing, arms crossed over her chest; but when she tilted her head sideways to look at him, there was a strange heaviness in her eyes.

“He killed himself when I was fourteen. No note, no reason why.”

“I-“ Tony started uncomfortably.

She cut him off, popping her gum again. And just like that the moment was gone, the quirk back in her lips, her voice its usual airy drawl.   
“So, you know, you should talk to someone or something. Bottling things up isn’t healthy.” With that she pushed herself upright and strolled lazily back inside.

Tony’s eyes followed her of their own accord, watching as she walked over to where Jane and Thor were standing. Thor had his arms around Jane’s waist, and she was leaning against his broad chest with a happy smile on her face. Steve stood next to them, turned so that   
Tony could only see his profile. Whatever they were talking it, it had both Jane and Steve blushing and Thor looking worryingly delighted. Darcy joined them with a comment that Tony couldn’t hear, but made all three of them laugh.

Tony was about to turn back to his drink and try to forget the unsettled feeling in his stomach, when he realized Steve was looking at him.   
Their eyes met over Darcy’s shoulder, Steve’s eyes bright and sparkling, a smile still quirking his lips as he beckoned Tony over. He hesitate a moment, the glass in his hand still cool and sweating slightly. Then he set the glass down and followed Darcy back into the light, his party face firmly in place.

Steve clapped a large, warm hand on his shoulder when he joined the small group, filling him in on the conversation he’d been missing. If   
Tony’s smile became just a little more real at the touch, and if Darcy gave him a significant look out of the corner of her eye, well, maybe he seriously needed to reevaluate his estimation of her.


End file.
